Hacker Girl
by nox06
Summary: For the most part, everything in Carter Logan's life had remained constant. Her hometown of Gotham, her best friend Evangeline, her job. But when she meets Batman, everything changes. Now, Carter is jumping hurdles left and right with a new challenge consistently at her fingertips. And she's thrilled.
1. Chapter 1

_Hello friends. In honor of_ Young Justice _being renewed, I have been inspired... which has led to this. I will say this story won't really follow the_ Young Justice _storyline, but it is based off of that universe, while, possibly, bringing in a bit of that nitty-gritty darkness from Batman and his beloved Gotham City. I say possibly because I'm not entirely sure yet. We'll just have to see where this goes. At the moment, I'd like to say there's a lot more comedy and charm than death and destruction. I want my writing to reprsent all aspects of life, and I always thought that_ Young Justice _did an astonishing job at that. Also, so you know, this story will be OC based. It will be Dick Grayson/OC and, perhaps, Jason Todd/OC, both different charcters._

 _Now. Please. Read, Enjoy, and, hopefully, Review._

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing recognizeable._

How To: Do That Awkward Cute Meet Trope Thing

It was sunny outside. The sky was a light blue out and clear of all clouds. It wasn't as warm as it had been earlier in the day, but still. That didn't stop people from experiencing it if they could. The pleasant weather was a rarity in Gotham, even more so than usual seeing as they were getting into late October, but Carter, a full blooded Gothamite, didn't exactly have the time to enjoy it.

Hell, she wasn't even dressed for it.

The young blonde woman wore an old pair of jeans that had miraculously managed to last and fit the girl for the past several years, as well as a very comfortable, plain, dark gray long-sleeve shirt. Pulled over it was a black cardigan that matched the black knitted beanie that she had jammed onto her blonde head. An army green satchel bag rested against her hip, containing her laptop. Her beaten black converse still had mud on them from the previous week.

Carter smoothly joined the crowd of people that were crossing the street, pulling out her phone and readjusting her neon pink earbuds. She licked her lips, glancing up at the vast building before her.

Wayne Enterprises.

Carter had recently graduated from Gotham University, and had been lucky enough to land a job at WE for the day. Sure, it was a one time thing, but still. The pay was going to be fantastic.

She slipped through the glass doors of the building, nervously fiddling with her phone. Once again, Carter was a full blooded Gothamite. She was so full blooded that she was a part of the majority of Gotham who lived in shoebox apartments and survived off of tv dinners. That didn't really include working in major corporations wearing pantsuits, pencil skirts, and kitty heels. Hell, even if she was there for a day, she still wasn't wearing that.

She crossed over to a blank part of a wall, leaning against it as she pulled up the email that her employer had sent her which included everything she was supposed to do today. Skimming through the information that she had already memorized, Carter nodded her head.

This shouldn't take too long. Good.

She looked up, eyes landing on the front desk. She quickly walked over and was fortunate enough to not have to wait in a line. A perky brunette grinned up at her.

"Hi! How can I help you today?"

"Hi," Carter smiled. "I was hoping you could point me towards tech support. I'm what you could call a 'freelance IT girl', and was contacted on helping out with something today."

"Oh, of course. What you're going to want to do is go to the elevator. They're on the third floor, and if you just take a left from there, the main tech support room is just at the end of the hall!"

"Sweet, thanks."

"No problem! Have a good day, ma'am!"

"You too."

It took Carter a matter of seconds to reach the elevator. She continued to toss her phone between her hands as she waited for it to arrive. By the time it had been filled, Carter was at the very back, pressed against the wall between two businessmen.

Two floors later, and Carter was awkwardly apologizing to everyone as she fought her way to the front. She finally escaped, stumbling a bit before straightening and taking a deep breath. Glancing behind herself, Carter took a left.

At the end of the unnecessarily long hallway, there was a glass door. In fact, as she had walked there, Carter had picked up on the fact that most of the doors and walls were glass. She appreciated the want for open space, but she wasn't exactly sure how this would impact her job.

She opened the door and stepped into the room. Nobody was here, just as she had planned. Lunch breaks. Gotta love them.

Quickly, Carter sat in front of one the high-tech, over-priced desktops. Turning it on, she pulled a flashdrive out of her satchel, and plugged it in. Cracking her knuckles, she began to type. Her employer hadn't given her a password, but that wasn't a problem. After the tapping of a few keys, and a three-second wait time, the computer was free and open to her exploration.

She clicked on the flashdrive's encrypted file, titled W3J; 'Wayne Enterprises Job.' Carter typed in a couple of codes, allowing the file to appear on every computer connected to the buildings wifi. It was empty, obviously. Even if the hack was supposed to be noticeable, there was no way she was going to get caught for somebody else. Carter may have just graduated from college, but she did have a life, you know. Friends, family, Netflix.

After opening the file, Carter's employer had told her to wait for exactly seven minutes so that the hack had made enough of an imprint. If Carter had been hacking from home, without the intention of being noticed, no amount of time with an open file, especially one that was encrypted, would have been enough to make an imprint. She wasn't even sure why her employer wanted the hack to be noticed, but Carter didn't really care. She knew nobody would get hurt, and she was getting paid five grand for this simple of a job. Why worry?

Deciding seven minutes was far too long of a time frame to just sit there, Carter took out her laptop and easily hacked into WE, bringing up the employee files. With a company as large as this, somebody had to be embezzling. The very first person she looked at was Gotham's favorite playboy; Bruce Wayne.

She scanned over the files, and came to the conclusion that, while an idiot, Bruce Wayne was a good person. Sure, way too much of his money went towards technology and cars and updates on those types of things, but all of that was his own money that he had, for the most part, earned. And, as she looked further, Carter realized that Bruce Wayne donated way more money to charities than most of Gotham knew about. She had always thought that he had done it for the publicity, but, taking a closer look, Carter was easily proved wrong.

However, this apparently didn't stop Jordan Hayes, a higher up in Wayne Technologies, from embezzling. Carter would send him a vaguely threatening email later.

Finally, seven minutes had passed. Carter cleared her history, after quickly flagging Jordan Hayes and Madison Templeton, who was spending her paychecks on Vertigo and dealing it to fellow employees. She removed the flashdrive, turned off the computer, and left the room.

It wasn't long before Carter was walking out the door of Wayne Enterprises, sending an email to her employer. **Done. I'll accept my payment electronically.**

Just as she hit send, Carter collided with someone. She gasped, her shoelaces coming undone as she began to fall. Right before she hit the ground, a hand caught hers, and somehow managed to keep her about a foot off of the ground. Her eyes, which she had squeezed shut after she had begun to fall, flashed open.

Very pretty blue eyes were staring back at her.

"I am so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you okay? I am so sorry." A very handsome man easily pulled her up, a hand landing on her bicep to steady her as she stood. Black hair was falling into his bright blue eyes, and he nervously pushed it back.

Carter stayed silent, her face flushing red as she stared at the man.

"Are- um, are you okay? I didn't mean to run into you, I swear. I'm so sorry. I should've been paying attention to what I was doing."

"Oh!" Carter blinked rapidly, taking a step back so that the man's hands fell to his sides. She stuttered a bit before saying, "No, no. Um, it's - it's not your fault. I was on my phone, so… I'm sorry."

The man laughed, rubbing his neck. "Don't worry about it. Are you really okay though? You seemed kind of in shock when I caught you."

"Wait what? Oh, you mean - I mean, like, when I - No, that wasn't because of -. ...I'm fine, thank you."

The man grinned at her, and Carter was pretty sure she was going to go into shock again. How could someone's teeth be so white? "Good."

"Yep."

The two stood there, really only just smiling at each other as the crowd weaved around them. Carter blushed some more, reaching up to fix her beanie and tuck her shoulder-length hair behind her ear.

"So, um-"

"I have to-"

They laughed, the awkward stillness broken as they spoke in unison.

"I, um, I have to go," Carter said, pointing past the man in the general direction of apartment.

"Yeah, uh, so do I," said the man, gesturing towards Wayne Enterprises.

"Okay, then. Well. I'm just going to-"

"Yeah, yeah! No, of course. Don't let, um, yeah, I, uh, I won't stop you."

"Okay, yeah, then I'll just… Bye!"

As Carter walked away, trying get through the crowd as fast as possible, she ducked her head. She was certain that she looked like a tomato. How the hell could she hack so easily and with so much confidence and then be as awkward as a potato in front of people? Especially really cute people with unfairly blue eyes?

Carter groaned, pressing play on her music.

Dick Grayson had had a really good day. Which was nice, seeing as he risked his life every night. He had gone to his classes at Gotham U, and had had lunch with Wally, before heading to a couple meetings for his father at Wayne Enterprises. Not to mention, he had met a cute girl, which is always a plus.

Or… he had sort of met a cute girl.

They hadn't really exchanged names, or numbers, and their conversation had mostly consisted of him apologizing for running into her. But still. She was cute, and he had attempted to find out her name, but by the time he had turned around she had been long gone.

Of course, he hadn't meant to run into her! He had been looking his watch, double checking for the umpteenth time that he wasn't late to his meeting with Jordan Hayes, a higher up in Wayne Technologies. And so, he hadn't seen her and had just kept walking, which had led to him practically knocking her to ground. Luckily, his reflexes were quick enough to keep her from hitting the ground, but that hadn't stopped the adrenaline rush.

Her eyes had snapped open as soon as he had caught her, and Dick had admittedly been a bit taken aback. They were so green… Her short blonde hair had been falling into her face, and her beanie had nearly fallen off.

Dick had instantly started apologizing, feeling terrible for not paying attention, but the girl hadn't really said anything. In fact, she had just kind of stared at him, which made him feel even worse. "I am so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you okay? I am so sorry." He nervously pushed his hair back, not entirely sure of what to do. Her cheeks had flushed red, and Dick assumed that was because of the wind. He kept talking, which, looking back, probably only overwhelmed her even more, but he just couldn't help himself. "Are- um, are you okay? I didn't mean to run into you, I swear. I'm so sorry. I should've been paying attention to what I was doing."

The girl finally seemed to come back to life, stepping back a bit so that Dick's hands fell from her arms. She blinked a couple of times before saying, "No, no. Um, it's - it's not your fault. I was on my phone, so… I'm sorry."

Dick laughed, a bit nervously, but he hoped she wouldn't pick up on that. He rubbed the back of his neck, smiling softly at her. Her cheeks were still red and she was fiddling with the strap of her satchel. "Don't worry about it. Are you really okay though? You seemed kind of in shock when I caught you."

She stared at him for a second, seemingly taken aback by what he said. Dick's smile fell. Had he said something wrong? "Wait what? Oh, you mean - I mean, like, when I - No, that wasn't because of -. ...I'm fine, thank you."

Dick grinned at the girl. She was adorable when flustered. "Good."

"Yep."

The two stood there, really only just smiling at each other as the crowd weaved around them. Dick's eyes followed carefully as the pretty blonde reached up to fix her beanie and play with her hair. He shifted his footing a bit, not really sure where to take the conversation from there. Maybe he should ask for a name?

"So, um-"

"I have to-"

They laughed, and Dick was glad that the girl seemed to be a bit more at ease.

"I, um, I have to go," she said, pointing over Dick's shoulder in the other direction.

He nodded, rubbing the back of his neck once again. "Yeah, uh, so do I," he said, gesturing towards Wayne Enterprises.

"Okay, then. Well. I'm just going to-"

"Yeah, yeah! No, of course. Don't let, um, yeah, I, uh, I won't stop you."

"Okay, yeah, then I'll just… Bye!"

Dick took a couple steps forward, before freezing. He stood there for half a second, before spinning around and shouting, "Can I have a name?!"

But by that time, it was too late. The girl had disappeared into the crowd. Dick cursed, checking his watch once again, before rushing into the building to meet with Jordan Hayes.

The meeting had gone pretty well, but Dick had found it difficult to concentrate. His mind had kept drifting back to the girl with blonde hair. She'd been a little awkward, but Dick was positive he hadn't been any better. As Jordan Hayes had talked him through his plan on where to take Wayne Technologies, Dick had been planning on heading to the Bat Cave and running a facial recognition program on the girl. Bruce probably wouldn't be pleased with Dick's decision, but he just couldn't help himself. He was curious. He was certain he had never seen the girl before, and, as of late, he'd practically been living at WE. Although, that didn't really mean anything seeing as the girl could work on a different floor and at different times. However, she hadn't exactly been dressed for working at WE.

Dick hadn't even had a full conversation with the girl, but, maybe even because of that, he was filled with questions.

Dick sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he parked his car in the vast garage of Wayne Manor. He easily slid out of the driver's seat, shutting the door and locking it. If he didn't, Damian was sure to take it for a joyride. Whistling to himself, and swinging his keys around his index finger, Dick walked into the house.

"Honey, I'm home!"

"Dick."

Dick stopped in the process of digging through the fridge for leftovers, standing up fully to grin at his adoptive father.

"Bruce! How are you?"

Bruce Wayne ignored his son's question, instead saying, "I'm glad you're here. Wayne Enterprises was hacked today."

Dick choked on his drink. "Wh - what?"

"Meet me in the Bat Cave. I want to know who is behind this."

"Ye - yeah, no problem, Bruce. I'll be down there in a second."

By the time Dick had finished talking, Bruce had vanished. Dick sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

Maybe his day hadn't been as good as he had thought.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Hello, people! Now, after a lot of reviews pointing out that 'Hacker Girl' is just one more Dick/OC fanfiction out of hundreds, I understand if you don't want to read that! Boring and predictable, yes? Not necessarily so. I'd like to say that my writing is something original, and not like anything you've read before. That's probably just pure arrogance, but I digress! I wrote this because I wanted to. I don't really know how to phrase it any differently.**_

 _ **Another thing; I don't claim to know absolutely everything about comics. There is so much material out there, that I doubt anyone does. Also, as the story develops, I doubt I'll stay true to everything in the comics. Once again, there is so much material out there and so much of it conflicts.**_

 _ **Now please. Enjoy!**_

How To: Be Impressed

It'd been half an hour. Dick had changed his position several times. Bruce was getting frustrated.

"Whoever did this knew what they were doing," Bruce said.

Dick made a mark on a postit note. That had been the sixth time Bruce had said that.

"Why don't we call Tim? He'd be better at this than us. Faster too, probably."

"He's away at school."

"So?"

"He's also not answering my calls."

"Oh."

They continued to work silence.

"How did this hack even happen?" Dick asked, groaning as he leaned back to run his hands through his hair.

"I'm not entirely sure. A blank, encrypted file appeared on every single computer that was connected to the WiFi of WE. Except on my personal desktop. There was a document in that file that simply read 'Hello, Bruce.' Someone wanted my attention. Why not give it to them?"

Dick nodded, continuing to type. He knew he'd be hacking today, but he hadn't expected it to be like this. Speaking of, that gave him an idea.

He pulled up the security cams as Bruce continued to try and track the file virus. "Do you want me to run facial recognition? I can try and see if anybody who has never been to WE before had something to do with this."

"Let's see if we can find a specific person first. Scan the 24/7 security cams in the mainframe room first for the previous thirty-six hours. Who knows when this happened?"

Dick did as he was told, hands flying across the keyboard. Twenty minutes later and he had found a hit.

"No way," he breathed.

Sitting in the mainframe room in front of one of the desktops was the pretty blonde girl he had ran into while entering Wayne Enterprises. She sat in the chair with crossed legs, hunched over an old laptop as the desktop in front of her apparently ran diagnostics.

"Hey, Bruce. I think I found our girl."

"Really?" Bruce asked, standing from his seat to walk over and look over Dick's shoulder. "Pull up the facial recognition software. The city cams and social security."

Dick nodded and, a couple of taps on the keyboard later, he had pulled up a high school diploma as well as an apartment lease. "Looks like she's just a typical civilian."

"Apparently not if she could hack into WE so easily. What's it say about her?"

"Um, graduated from Gotham High, but never really did anything there. Except… She wrote an award winning code where she managed to create a scavenger hunt across the internet. It's pretty impressive."

"How old was she?"

"Ummmm… Sixteen."

"Damn."

"Yeah."

"What does she do now?"

"Seems to be between jobs right now for the most part. Every now and then she apparently picks up shifts at The Rosewood & Ivory."

"Huh. So David knows her. What's her name?"

"Carter. Carter Logan."

"Well, Carter Logan… Just why were you hacking into Wayne Enterprises? What's her IP address?"

Carter had had a really long day. She'd gone to her classes at Gotham U, finished a quick job at Wayne Enterprises, experienced what was probably the most awkward way to meet a cute guy in the history of ever, and had spent a few hours shopping with her best friend, Evangeline Roux. She hadn't bought anything, obviously. Carter wasn't exactly rolling in money. In fact, most of the cash she had made from that day's job would be going to rent, food, and paying off her student debt. She might even have enough left over for socks.

However, she had been out with Evangeline. So there was no way that'd be accepted as an answer. Which had eventually resulted in Evangeline buying everything for Carter, which Carter always hated and protested, but, as usual, she had been ignored.

Now Carter was trying very hard not to drop any of her bags as she bumped her front door open with her hip. Sighing heavily, she dropped everything onto her ratty floral couch before grabbing a soda from the fridge. Pushing a bag or two off of the couch, Carter sat down, tossing her feet up onto the coffee table in front of her. She removed her laptop from her satchel, placing it onto her lap before pulling out her phone and scrolling through Instagram.

Maybe she'd be able to find that cute guy from earlier in the day.

A deep, guttural _growl_ began to echo throughout her apartment. Carter jolted up, her phone dropping to the ground. Her computer nearly slid off of her lap, but she caught it just in time. Practically in shock, she stared at the screen.

A black screen stared back at her with four red claw marks appearing to have torn through the darkness.

"No fucking way," Carter breathed. How the hell had…. _Who_ the hell had…?

Nearly running, Carter rushed over to her kitchen counter, the stool she sat on almost falling to the ground. She slammed the laptop onto the surface, typing code after code, replacing the software the hacker had somehow already broken through.

Mumbling to herself as she worked, Carter said, "Enable Code Guarddog. Hey, whoever you are, go the fuck away…"

After about ten minutes, she had pushed them back to the start, reinforcing her security software as she went. Sighing, she licked her lips, fingers twitching before an idea struck. Grinning, Carter began to type.

Entering code after code after code, Carter realized whoever she was dealing with… they just might know what they were doing. Typically, it took Carter a matter of minutes to back-hack and find an IP address, but whoever was attacking her had a pretty sound security system.

Of course, it was Carter so that didn't really matter.

After more time than she would have liked, Carter had eventually tracked down her hacker.

"Oh. My. Fucking. God."

Wayne Manor?

Who the hell would be hacking her from Wayne Manor? Why would anyone from Wayne Manor be hacking her? Hell, who would know how to?

Then something clicked.

Wayne Manor. Bruce Wayne. Wayne Enterprises.

They'd found the hack. But how had they found her?

Tripping over her own two feet, Carter raced back to the couch and grabbed her phone before going back to her computer. Pulling up her security app, that she had created herself because obviously, she traced the Wayne Manor IP address and hacked into the history.

Wayne Enterprises security cameras. In the mainframe room during the time Carter had been there. And then facial recognition software that was run against the city documents.

Huh.

All of the software that had been used was extremely high tech and up to date. It was some of the best of the best. While that didn't really surprise Carter because, you know, _Wayne_ , the access was a bit of a shock.

Even if Bruce Wayne was the owner of WE, which Carter had hacked earlier that day, that didn't mean he should have access to the _security cameras_ from his home. Not to mention, why take it upon himself to track Carter down?

It didn't add up. Carter had feeling that she was missing… _something_. There was a piece of a puzzle hidden underneath the couch cushions.

Carter looked back up at her computer.

Why not ask some questions?

"Whoa, what just happened?"

Dick stared at the computer in the Bat Cave that he was working at. The large, high-tech screen had gone black, with red claw marks, and had stayed that way for a couple of seconds before returning towards the blank desktop from before he had started hacking. All of his work had been erased. He glanced over at Bruce, who was staring at his own computer, which had apparently done the same thing.

"Um, uh, w-wha…?"

"I don't know," Bruce said. "Try again."

Dick nodded, entering a new code. As he began to work, Dick's mind began to drift. How the hell had the pretty girl he had run into earlier been the one to hack his father's company? _Why_ had she done it? What was the purpose behind her message?

He hadn't even been hacking for a minute before a _growl_ echoed throughout the Bat Cave. Dick jumped, pushing back slightly from the desk. His mouth dropped as he looked up at the four main computers. In red lettering against a black background, one word per screen, read;

 **WHAT. DO. YOU. WANT?**

"What the fuck?" Dick breathed. "Bruce, did she…?"

"Manage to hack us? Yes. Yes, I believe she did. I suppose we shouldn't be surprised."

"D - do we answer her?"

"I… yes. In a sense."

Bruce bent over his keyboard. If this girl was as good as she seemed, all he had to do was type a response, and she'd see it.

 _Why did you hack Wayne Enterprises?_

Dick stared as the question appeared on the screens, each one repeating the question.

 **WHO WANTS TO KNOW? I'M NOT A FAN OF BEING HACKED.**

Dick leaned forward.

 _Ironic._

 **WHO ARE YOU?**

Bruce frowned. "Allow me, Dick."

 _That doesn't matter. Why did you hack Wayne Enterprises, Carter Logan?_

 **YOU KNOW MY NAME. CONSIDER ME IMPRESSED. I HAVE A BETTER QUESTION. WHO FROM WAYNE MANOR COULD HACK ME?**

 _What makes you say my end is coming from Wayne Manor?_

 **I THINK WE BOTH KNOW HOW GOOD I AM AT WHAT I DO. DON'T QUESTION ME.**

 _I could have rerouted the IP origin._

 **BUT YOU DIDN'T.**

Bruce clenched his jaw. He glanced over at his son, who seemed to be just as unsure as he was. "Even if we had, I have a feeling that this Carter Logan would have found us anyway."

Dick nodded, still not entirely certain of what to do. "Bruce… she seems smart. What if-"

"She won't."

 **KEEP TRYING TO HACK ME. I PROMISE YOU'LL REGRET IT.**

With that last message sent, another growl sounded before being followed by a high pitched whirring. All the screens filled with white noise, like that on a television when the channel wouldn't connect. The lights and everything else powered by electricity shut down, causing the Bat Cave to go entirely dark.

"She shut down our entire system," Dick said, jaw dropped as he stared at his surroundings.

"Hmm," Bruce hummed. "Consider me impressed."

Carter yawned, leaning against the back of the couch as she rubbed her eyes. For the past hour, she had been studying the past of Bruce Thomas Wayne.

Parents murdered in back alleyway at a startlingly young age. Practically raised by his butler. Three adoptive sons. Richard "Dick" Grayson; from the Flying Graysons. Jason Todd; a street rat who had disappeared a few years ago. Timothy "Tim" Drake; a rich kid who had been adopted by Wayne after his parents had died. One biological son. Damian Wayne; an illegitimate child who had come out of the woodworks a few months ago.

Carter already knew all of this. The entirety of Gotham already knew this.

So she dug deeper.

It seemed that Bruce Wayne was extremely generous. He donated innumerous amounts of money to multiple charities. But besides that, Bruce went on multiple visits to other countries, acting as the public figure for WE. All in all, he seemed like a typical rich, businessman.

Carter groaned, sliding down the couch and onto the ground. She laid there for a moment, just thinking.

She had been hacked. _She had been hacked_. From Wayne Manor, no less. How the hell did that happen? That question was the one that had led to her research.

Her hacker had been _good_. They had managed to make it through her main firewall, tripping her original cautionary red flag. It wasn't exactly normal for someone to make it past _Carter's_ codes. And yet…

It just didn't make sense to her. Bruce Wayne and hacking weren't exactly things that typically went in the same sentence. Carter _knew_ that all she needed was that one last puzzle piece and then she'd understand everything.

She just didn't know what that last piece looked like.

Dick was exhausted. After the encounter back at the Bat Cave a few hours ago, he had decided to go out on patrol in Gotham. He hadn't done that in a while and though the peace of a sleepy city would do him some good.

Turns out, Dick was an idiot and had forgotten that neither 'peace' nor 'sleepy' would be words to describe Gotham at any point in time.

Traffic was as deafening as usual, he could hear the parties and clubs, and the people of Gotham weren't really the best at keeping their arguments subtle. Not to mention, Dick was finding it difficult to get his mind off of the very cute hacker he had run into earlier in the day.

Carter Logan.

It was difficult for Dick to wrap his mind around the fact that the cute blonde from outside Wayne Enterprises was a hacker. And a damn good one at that. A hacker who had managed to not only send a virus-esque encrypted file throughout all of WE as well as break into the Bat Cave's system and shut it down.

Impressive.

Although, now that he was thinking about it (even though he really shouldn't be seeing as he had nearly tripped and fallen off of a rooftop, because, you know, _acrobat_ ), Dick wasn't even sure if Carter knew that she had hacked into the Bat Cave. In one of her messages, she had referred to his and Bruce's location as 'Wayne Manor.'

Hm.

This made it interesting…. Even more than it already had been.

An hour later and Dick Grayson was sitting at the kitchen table in Wayne Manor, eating a bowl of cereal in full Nightwing garb.

Alfred Pennyworth, butler and dear family friend of the Wayne's, walked into the kitchen. His step never faltered, even as he spotted Dick.

"Hello young Master Richard. How are you this evening?"

"I'm good, thanks Alfred."

"Of course, Richard."

The two enjoyed the comfortable quite as Alfred began to pack the always prepared first aid kit for whenever one of the Bats came home from patrol and as Dick continued to enjoy his cereal. After a few minutes, Bruce Wayne walked through the door, his cape billowing behind him.

"It was quiet tonight," he said.

"Yeah," Dick agreed.

A tense moment passed before Bruce continued speaking. "Carter Logan. I think she could use a visit."

"A visit?" Dick asked. "From who?"

One glance at Bruce, and Dick was pretty sure he knew.

 _ **Read and Review!**_


	3. Chapter 3

How To: Laugh In A Serious Situation

The next night, and Carter was asleep in her bed, her door cracked open ever so slightly. The entire day had been spent filled with research. At this point, Carter had the feeling that whatever she was missing was painstakingly obvious and that she just kept missing it. She had fallen asleep with her laptop open next to her, and headphones plugged in as she listened to a Spotify playlist on her phone.

Around one a.m., and Carter began to stir. She licked her lips and coughed. Her throat was dry. Groaning, Carter rolled off of the bed, nearly falling to the ground but she managed to steady herself. She rubbed her eyes as she shuffled into her kitchen. Yawning, she poured herself a glass of water, blinking to try and clear her vision.

And then she froze, body tense.

Breath caught in her throat, Carter slowly turned around to face her couch. The mug in her hand fell to the ground, spilling the water across her bare feet. She backed up, her hands clutching her counter.

There, staring back at her, was fucking _Batman_.

And that other vigilante she had noticed on the news a couple of times. But Carter was mostly focused on fucking _Batman_.

"Um, hi?"

Carter could kick herself. Really? Faced with a superhero who just scared the goddamn daylights out of you, and the best you can think of is ' _um, hi_ '?

"Carter Logan."

His voice was deep and raspy and really good at scaring Carter even more. Although, since she was thinking about it, Carter came to the realization that she didn't need to be scared. Batman protected civilians like her. Like, come on. Carter wasn't a criminal. She didn't steal, or kill, or any of that other messed up that the people Batman went up against did.

Wait.

Hacking.

This made sense now.

Maybe she shouldn't have taken such an obvious job.

"Um, she's not here right now. Can I take a message?"

Carter was pretty sure the other vigilante had laughed, but was distracted by the glare she could practically feel radiating off of Batman.

"You think this is a joke? You find this funny?" he growled.

"Um, no, I just - I'm - I, uh… I use humor as a, uh, a defense mechanism, so…."

Carter was rather certain she heard Batman sigh, but decided not to focus on that.

"Um… yeah. I'm - I'm Carter. Carter Logan. That's me. Uh, why… why are you here?"

Yes. Act clueless. Good.

"You hacked into Wayne Enterprises."

Carter laughed nervously. "Uh, no. I didn't. I don't even know how to write computer code."

"I would suggest being more honest, Carter Logan. I received your messages."

Have you ever had such a sense of dread that it feels like you're sinking and that you can't breathe? Because that is exactly what Carter probably should have felt.

And yet…

Instead, as soon as Batman had finished his sentence, everything had fallen into place. She had found the final puzzle piece.

"Holy shit," she breathed. "You're Bruce Wayne."

Going off of the sudden intensity in the vigilantes' stances, Carter had a feeling that she probably shouldn't have said that.

* * *

Dick stared.

How the hell had she figured it out?

Five seconds earlier, she had seemed scared and nervous and had been a _really_ bad liar. But when the name 'Bruce Wayne' fell from her lips, she had been absolutely certain. There was no doubt in her words. No question in her statement. She wasn't lying. She knew exactly what she was saying.

Turning towards Batman, Dick tilted his head. Only slightly so it wouldn't be obvious to someone who wasn't trained to notice any and all body language, but just enough for Batman to see.

Dick watched as Bruce shook his head. Just barely, so that Carter Logan wouldn't see it, but Dick understood. The Batman didn't want him to say a damn word.

But it was Carter Logan they were dealing with, and Dick had picked up early on that it wouldn't stay quiet for long. He just hoped that she didn't make him laugh again. The Batman hadn't exactly been _pleased_.

"I mean… I'm right, aren't I? Y - you said that you had 'received my messages'. I sent those to a specific IP address that I cross wired to a location at Wayne Manor. If you specifically received my messages, that means that _you_ were at Wayne Manor. Oh god, I get it now."

"How so?" Batman pushed.

"I - I mean, that hack. It was way too clean and well done to be from some security guard at Wayne Enterprises. Hell, you made it past my first protective software. I mean, Code Guarddog stopped you, but that code can stop anyone. Unless you know how to get to the backdoor but nobody knows that but me, so that doesn't matter. Look, I know it may seem like I'm rambling, but I know I'm right."

Dick was admittedly thrown off. Seconds before Carter had been rambling and a bit awkward. But all it took was a breath of air and mention of computer code for Carter to say every word with purpose. She stood up straight, staring the Batman in the face, seemingly fearless, if it hadn't been for her biting her cheek and the drumming of her fingertips against her side.

And then Dick nearly choked on his breath.

The Batman had reached up and pulled his cowl back. Bruce sighed before saying, "You are right. Very clever Miss Logan."

"Uh, da - um… wh - wha… what?"

"Go on, Nightwing. I'm sure she'd figure it out in a matter of minutes. Why the hassle?"

Dick was in complete shock as he pulled off his mask. Which he had been asked to do. With a civilian in front of him. By _Bruce_. What the fuck was happening?

"I assume you know who this is?" Bruce asked, turning back towards the blonde.

Carter, in the meantime, was staring at Dick. It had taken her about five seconds to figure out just who Dick Grayson was. Or, rather, how exactly she knew him.

"Yeah," she said. "What I don't know is why you are here."

Bruce chuckled. "Yes you do. You just confessed to hacking into my home."

"Technically, you hacked me first."

"Why did you hack into my company, Miss Logan?"

Carter sighed, peeling away from the counter. "Give me a second," she said, disappearing down the hall. "I'll show you."

Dick didn't bother to wait before turning onto his father. "Bruce. What the fuck?"

"She had it figured out, Dick. Why try and keep the lie alive? Besides. I have the feeling that being candor will benefit us more than if we weren't."

Carter reappeared, now clutching her laptop. She slipped between the vigilantes, taking a seat on her couch. She opened it, beginning to type. Dick moved behind her, watching carefully… just in case.

"I'm a hacker," Carter said. "I'm pretty damn sure you've already picked up on that. I've been doing it for years. When I was eighteen, I decided to put it to use. People began to hire me to hack for them. Or really just do anything computer related. I've made websites, I've created security systems like Guarddog. My laptop even has it's own software. That what's most of my jobs are. Easy stuff. I like to say that I'm a 'freelance IT girl'.

"But, every now and then, someone will want me to do something like the Wayne Enterprises Job. I've helped people disappear, I've helped give people new identities. Stuff that, I will say, isn't exactly _legal_. But, again, I'm good at what I do. I research every job I'm given. I question my employer and make sure that there's nothing fucked up about the situation I'm getting myself into.

"Then there was the Wayne Enterprise Job. I'll admit that I don't know who asked me to do the job. I didn't really see the point in taking an entire day to track them down when all they wanted was for me to use a flashdrive, that _they_ mailed to me, to send a message. I looked through it first of course. All it was was an encrypted file that would spread through the company's computers. There wasn't a virus or anything like that on it, so I didn't see why I shouldn't do it. The one thing I wasn't exactly thrilled about was the fact that they wanted the hack to be noticeable. Not exactly like me. That's why I entered the building. That's why I used the flashdrive. I could have done what they wanted from right here, and had never been caught. But even then. That hack… I covered my tracks. I was careful.

"Then again, I didn't really expect Batman to be the one hunting me down."

"Why do it?" Dick asked. "You had to have known the risk. So… why?"

Carter looked up at him, smiling a bit. "I needed the challenge. Everything else has gotten boring. Here's the email, by the way."

Bruce and Dick both leant forward, scanning the words on the screen. Whoever had sent the email had been very careful to use objective language. Everything revolved around the job. Carter's name never even appeared in the email. It was systematic and cold.

"Would you be able to track them down?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah, definitely. It shouldn't take me that long. And if for some strange reason I can't find them, I could find out where they are."

"Good," Bruce said, pulling his cowl back on. "Do so."

"Wait, what?"

"Track them down. Then contact me once you've found them. I'm sure that shouldn't be a problem for you."

"Of course not, don't be offensive. However, still somewhat lost. You. You want me to hack. For you."

"Yes."

"Um… I probably shouldn't bring this back up, but… I mean, hacking is like… against the law. And like, that's kind of like, the exact opposite… of what I would expect from you. Because you're, you know, 'The Batman.'"

"Sometimes you have to do something against the rules in order to help better the world. And I'm sure you wouldn't want to screw up this second chance. I doubt we'd get along as well if I discovered that you were doing some that you'd expect me to not approve of."

Carter stared as the vigilante disappeared into the night. "The window. Really? The window. Why the window? There's a door. I'm sure none of the neighbors would question Batman just casually leaving my apartment in the middle of the night. Who the fuck am I kidding? None of the neighbors are awake, and would be too lazy to care."

Dick snorted.

"Oh god!" Carter's laptop nearly fell from it's resting place on her legs. "You're still here?!"

"Indeed I am," Dick said. He sat on the coffee table in front of Carter, smiling at her. She was sitting there, legs crossed and hair still a mess from recently waking up. Her fingers were drumming against the laptop as looked at him.

"So… he just does that?"

"Gotta be a bit more specific. Because the revealing the whole 'secret identity' thing is a new one."

"I was going with the whole 'leaving out the window' thing, but good to know I'm special."

"Definitely."

Silence fell between the two, shockingly comfortable for a vigilante and the civilian whose house he had technically broken into.

"I have a question," Dick said suddenly. Carter looked up at him. "Why the laptop?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's so old."

"It's a classic!"

Dick laughed, half in astonishment and half at what she said. The laptop in question was old and clunky. It wasn't exactly ancient, but Dick had a feeling it was pretty close. And from what he could see, a few keys were missing.

"Alright. Well. I'll leave you be, Carter Logan. Sleep well."

By the time Carter responded, Dick was already out on the fire escape, mask back in place as he waited to see if she said anything. "Oh! Uh, um, you too..."

"And, just so you know, you are a terrible liar."

"Wh - hey!"

* * *

"Wh - hey!"

Carter stared a bit, before laughing slightly at the vigilante.

Carter wasn't exactly sure what just happened. In less than an hour, she had discovered the biggest secret in Gotham, met the cute guy from the day before once again, and was somehow recruited to hack for Batman.

Because that made sense.

Carter blinked and rubbed her eyes. She placed the laptop on the coffee table, going to clean up the water she had spilled. Wringing the rag out over the sink, Carter wondered to herself.

 _Could I get away with telling Evangeline?_

Evangeline Roux and Carter Logan had been best friends since elementary school. It had been the typical story of one person getting into a fight and the other saving their ass. Well. Kind of.

Carter had gotten into a fight with bully of the playground, Eddie Shaw. It had been verbal at first because Eddie had been making fun of her clothes. Carter had decided to take it a step forward. She had punched him in the face.

Evangeline had seen and, being the curious girl that she was, had rushed over to her. Eddie had shoved Carter to the ground, and Evangeline was quick to help her up. And then Eddie had decided that it would be a good idea to make fun of the rich girl of the school. So, flipping her long, brown hair over her shoulder, Evangeline had kicked the school bully where the sun doesn't shine.

It was one of Carter's more favored memories.

Ever since that day, and the detention following it, Carter and Evangeline had been best friends. They knew everything there was to know about each other, and they never kept secrets. The other would find out eventually, so there was really no point in doing so. This time, however….

This time, Carter had a feeling that the Batman wouldn't be exactly pleased to find that Carter had told her best friend just what had happened that night.

Carter yawned, running a hand through her hair.

She'd think about this tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 4

How To: Be Magnificent

Evangeline Roux was a magnificent young woman. Not only was the tall and thin brunette absolutely stunning, but she was constantly completely composed and professional. Nothing ever through her for a loop. Carter would know. She had tried. Multiple times.

At the moment, Evangeline was standing in the living space of her best friend's apartment. She was typing away on her smartphone, heeled toes tapping against the wood as she waited for Carter. The woman wore a pristine, white peacoat with light blue jeans and knee-high black boots. Her long brown hair was in perfect ringlets and her flawlessly manicured nails drummed against the case of her phone.

"Logan! Get your ass out here!"

"Give me a second!"

Evangeline rolled her eyes, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "Whatever."

After another twenty minutes of Evangeline waiting, Carter finally reappeared. She wore an army green jacket over a black shirt and dark jeans with lace-up brown boots, and her short, blonde hair was braided back into a half-up, half-down style. She grinned over at her friend, grabbing her beaten satchel and slinging it over her shoulder.

"Are you ready to go?"

Evangeline glared.

"What?"

"I hate you."

Carter laughed.

Evangeline sighed, shaking her head at her friend. "Let's go."

"Where is it that you're dragging me this time?"

"I'm not dragging you anywhere," Evangeline said, glaring at her friend as they entered the elevator of Carter's apartment building.

"Fine then. Where is it that you're metaphorically dragging me this time?"

Evangeline scoffed. "Look, my father asked me to check out a _spa_ , Carter. Pardon me for hoping we could use this as bonding time?"

"Why do we need bonding time? You'd think by now we'd be fighting to get away from each other."

"Get in the car, Carter."

The blonde snorted, slipping into the back of the black car next to her friend.

"You love me."

"I promise you that I don't."

Carter smiled to herself, turning to look out the car window as Evangeline continued typing away on her phone. Quickly and easily, the driver pulled into traffic.

Carter Logan loved Gotham City. Sure, Gotham was known for it's danger and it's crime, but she didn't care. Gotham was her hometown. It meant the world to her. It was the reason she was the person that she was. If it wasn't for Gotham, Carter wouldn't be as quick witted with a great reaction time. She also probably wouldn't carry pepper spray and a pocket knife in her purse. Nor would she know anything about people. How you should never doubt anyone you come across, because they probably have a story and a few skeletons in their closet.

Hell, just a few days ago, Carter had discovered that Bruce Wayne and the Batman, Gotham's two biggest celebrities, were one and the same.

And if it weren't for Gotham, Carter wouldn't know that sometimes a serious situation calls for a couple light-hearted jokes. That humor could give the darkest day a silver lining. She also wouldn't know that, more often than not, the harder path to take is often the better one. If you know the truth, say it. If you're scared, act brave. If you feel something, tell someone. Because, even if the prospect of doing so is terrifying, it's always better to take a leap.

Maybe that was why she had agreed to track down her employer from the Wayne Enterprises Job.

After hacking and doing such easy, essentially tech support jobs, and for such a long time, Carter had gotten bored. Programming and coding had lost it's thrill. It was just something she did for money, not _passion_ like before. But then along came the Wayne Enterprises Job.

It was something new. Something she had never done anything like before. And the possibility of getting caught? The risk and danger that came along with that challenge? That just added to the adrenaline rush.

And now fucking _Batman_ had asked _her_ to hack for him. He wanted her to track down her employer and then tell him what she had found. So, not only was she given another challenge, but who knew? There was a chance of him asking her to do more stuff, because, while he had to have known the basics seeing as, _vigilante_ , Carter would be way faster and way more efficient. And even if she only worked with him this one time, she could still say that she had worked with the _Batman_.

That was pretty damn cool.

"Okay," the driver said, pulling Carter away from her thoughts. "We have reached your destination."

"Thank you, Mr. Smith."

"Of course, Miss Roux. When should I return?"

"Don't worry about it now, Adam. I'll call you when I need you."

"Yes, Miss Roux. Have a lovely time."

And with that, Adam Smith drove away, leaving the girls standing in front of Gotham City's brand new spa: Aphrodite's Haven.

Evangeline's father, David Roux, was the owner of a large hotel chain that had began in Gotham City before spreading across the world called The Rosewood & Ivory. Well. Less of a hotel and more of a resort. The Rosewood & Ivory resort chain was one of the best and most favored on a national scale. And was steadily climbing even higher up the ranks. Most, if not all, of the inns offered an in-hotel restaurant, an indoor pool and outdoor pool, a jacuzzi and sauna, free wifi, the best possible service, penthouse and honeymoon suites, and anything anyone could possibly think of. This included a fabulous spa. So, once David had heard about the competition via the new spa, he had sent his best scout.

Evangeline.

"Okay," Evangeline smiled, linking arms with Carter. "Let's go."

An hour later, and Carter and Evangeline were laughing with each other as they sat across from each other on two massage tables. They had just finished their massages and melodic music was playing from the speakers.

"So," Evangeline said, arranging her hair into a ponytail as she stared her friend down. "What are you keeping from me?"

"I - what?"

"Don't you dare play games with me, Carter Logan. We've barely talked these past few days, and you tried way to hard to get out of this spa day. Which we had agreed upon a week ago, may I remind you. You're avoiding me, Carter. Why?"

"I'm not avoiding you, Eve."

She scoffed. "But you agree that you're hiding something."

Carter sighed, playing with the ends of her short hair. She should have known that Evangeline would use their time together to force her to talk. "I am."

"What?"

"I can't tell you."

"What the hell do you mean you can't tell me!?"

"I mean that I can't tell you."

"We tell each other everything! It's okay if you're in trouble, Carter. I - I can help you!"

"I'm not in trouble," Carter laughed. "I just… I made a promise."

"Did you? Did you say the words 'I promise that I shall keep this secret from everyone I know'? Because if not, you don't need to worry about it."

"There's a bit more to it than that."

"Then give me a condensed version."

"I honestly can't. I'm really sorry, Evangeline."

Evangeline scowled, slipping down from her massage table. She rearranged her robe, pulling it tighter. Putting on her slippers, she turned to face her long time friend. "Whatever it is, I don't like it. It's making you keep secrets. From me."

Evangeline left the room, going to change back into her regular clothes.

Carter groaned, falling back onto the massage table, digging the palms of her hands into her eyes.

She should have known this would happen.

* * *

Dick Grayson was standing in the lobby of The Rosewood & Ivory, typing up a text to send to Bruce. He wore jeans and his black converse had so far managed to somehow stay immaculate. A black blazer was pulled over navy button-up. Sighing, Dick looked up from his phone. Unfortunately, the concierge had not returned.

Bruce Wayne went on a lot of trips, for both business and pleasure, and mixture of _other things_. When he did so, he typically used with his favorite hotel chain; The Rosewood  & Ivory. They had been his go-to for years, and were always understanding of his high demands. For this particular upcoming trip to Star City, Bruce had asked his eldest son to make his reservations for him.

Dick had reluctantly agreed.

At the moment he stood in the extravagant lobby of the very first Rosewood & Ivory. His foot tapped against the golden, marble floor. The ceiling was high and arched, a chandelier that looked like falling snowflakes hanging low. Two golden, marble staircases led from the lobby to the second floor. The banisters were elegant wrought iron. Impressive white gold pillars framed the lobby, and from there you could see a landing and halls around the second floor. Closer to the main doors, were two seating areas, leaving a wide open space under the chandelier that lead to the staircases.

Over to the left side of the lobby was the main desk. Bellhops rushed back and forth, pushing luggage carts with practiced ease. Two women stood behind the mahogany desk, typing up guests information and handing out keys. All of the employees were dressed to perfection.

"Mister Grayson!"

Dick turned to see a handsome brunet man walking towards him in a black suit with a golden tie, arms spread wide. "Mr. Roux."

"How many times must I tell you and your father? David. Please. 'Mr. Roux' makes me sound old."

Dick laughed. "Of course, David."

"So," David said, a hand clapping onto Dick's shoulder. "How may I help you today?"

"Bruce is heading to Star City in a couple of weeks. He wanted me to reserve ahead for him."

"Of course! Please, come with me, and we'll take care of this quickly. Anything for my favorite guests."

"I'm sure that's what you say to all the girls."

David laughed, leading the younger man towards the main desk. He slipped behind it, and began to pull up the reservation list on one of the computers. "So, tell me Dick. How have you been?"

"Oh, you know. A few… surprising things have happened. Not sure how I feel about them yet, but. What can you do?"

"What can you do indeed? Who knows, Dick? With new things happening, you just might end up going on the adventure of your life."

"Yeah, well," Dick chuckled. "That's a lot to compete with."

David hummed in response. "Okay… here we are! Tell Bruce I gave him our best room."

"Of course. Thanks, David."

"No problem! Always happy to help."

Dick grinned at the man, shook his hand, and left the hotel. As he walked out the glass door, he spotted a sleek black car turning into the vast parking lot of The Rosewood & Ivory. The driver pulled up to the front door, before hopping out and opening the back door. Two women appeared.

One of them had brown hair that fell to her waist. She wore simple, yet easily high fashion clothing, and looked to be upset with her companion. The other woman….

Was Carter Logan. Because of course it was.

The taller woman seemed to be ignoring Carter as she tried to talk to her. Her head was bent, and her eyes refused to move from her phone. She began to walk towards the hotel as Carter kept talking.

"Evangeline, I'm sorry. I would love to tell you, you know that! But I can't."

Evangeline continued to ignore her. She looked up and her sharp blue eyes met Dick's. He shifted a bit, rubbing the back of his neck. Placing a smile on her face, she strided forward.

"Hello. Do you need any help? Can get I anyone to take your luggage?"

"Oh, uh, no," Dick chuckled. "That's okay. I was just leaving."

"Oh alright. I hope you have a splendid afternoon then."

"You as well." He passed her by, faltering ever so slightly in his step as he met Carter's shocked gaze.

"Oh! Dick!"

"Carter. Hi. How are you doing?"

Evangeline turned, looking over her shoulder at her friend and the man who had been standing at the door when they had arrived. She raised a perfectly arched eyebrow as she watched them talk.

"Oh, I'm good, thanks. You?"

Dick smiled at her. "I'm doing alright. How's the job?"

Carter furrowed her brow for a second, but then he saw as her eyes lit up once she understood. "The jo…? Oh! The job. Right. I've managed to limit it, but I don't have anything exact yet."

"Okay. Just let me know when you do, alright?" he asked.

"No problem."

"Sweet. I'll see you later, Carter." He reached out, softly squeezing her upper arm. Giving her one last blinding grin, he walked back to his car.

As he did, Dick couldn't help but wonder what Carter and her friend had been talking about.

* * *

"Who was that?"

"Oh, so you're talking to me now?" Carter asked, shooting Evangeline a glare as she stared after Dick. It had been quite a shock to run into him outside The Rosewood & Ivory. It had barely been a week, and they had already crossed paths three times, even after never knowing each other before then.

"Is he what you're hiding?"

"No."

"Then how do you know him?"

"Does it really matter?" Carter sighed as she entered the hotel.

"Of course it does. Especially since you're hiding things."

"So it's not because you think he's cute."

"Ha! You admit it!"

"Admit what?"

"That you think he's cute."

"Of course I admit it. Did you see the guy?"

The girls had taken a seat next to each other on a magnificent rose gold loveseat. Carter curled in on herself, facing Evangeline who sat with perfect posture.

"How'd you meet?"

"I was walking out of a building and ran into him. Literally."

"And this just led to you two talking?"

"No."

"Then how'd you know each other's names? And he asked you about a job. What job?"

"It's not a big deal. Just something I was asked to do if I had the time. When we last ran into each other, I mentioned it."

"But you didn't tell me."

Carter stiffened. "Eve-"

"No, Carter. I just… we're best friends. Right?"

"Yes, of cou-"

"Well I thought that meant we could tell each other everything and anything. So if you're involved in something that you can't talk to me about? I don't think it's safe, Carter."

"I promise," Carter said, reaching forward to grab Evangeline's hand. "It's safe. I'll be very well-protected… and I'll ask."

Evangeline looked at Carter, confused.

"I'll ask if I can tell you."

Evangeline nodded, before reaching forward to pull her friend into a hug. "Okay," she whispered. "Then for now, let's just forget about it, yeah?"

"Yeah."

Evangeline Roux was truly magnificent.

 _ **I hope you enjoyed! Please review!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_Guest - I am so sorry. I had seen your review before about Carter being a Mary Sue, and I agree and am hoping to change that. The previous chapter where you last left a review, was a bit of a filler chapter but was still needed to introduce readers to Evangeline. I completely understand all of your points. The plot is a bit slow at this point and it is odd that she knows about Bruce and Dick almost instantly. Batman does have Robin with him, as you'll see in this chapter, but Dick has always been the golden boy. He's the one Bruce trusts the most. And with the point about Wayne Enterprises vs. Blüdhaven, you will hopefully see character growth in this fic and Dick will eventually be more ...separated from Bruce and Robin ;D. Also, I write the chapters early so I'm a few chapters ahead of what's been posted. And once this is finished, expect a revised fic because this is absolutely not the best thing I've ever written and I want to make it better. For your other points, would you please mind elaborating and helping? That's why I'm posting this fic. For feedback, and yours is incredibly helpful. Would you mind explaining more on why you don't like Carter and how you see Bruce and Dick out of character?_

 _P.S.: I would have sent you a private message for both reviews that you left, but you left them as a guest so I couldn't. Sorry!_

 _Now, please, read and review!_

* * *

How To: Have A Conversation With A Teenager

The next night, and, yet again, Carter was sitting her living room typing away on her laptop. Ever since Saturday night, she had been working to track down her employer. It had taken a lot of work, and her breaking through multiple encryptions. Eventually, she realized that every time they had communicated, she had received the email from different IP addresses, and, past that, each one was a different country. She wasn't sure if it was due to rerouting, or if she had truly received emails from multiple countries.

Sighing, she pulled up the document where she had listed the countries. Russia. France. Cuba. Morocco. The flashdrive had been mailed from Spain. It was all so strange…

She then looked over the security software of the IP addresses. They were all similar, except for small tweaks that were barely noticeable, unless you knew what you were doing. Carter furrowed her brow, before grabbing a notebook and a pencil. She jotted down the codes, labelling each one with the country it was from. After that, she once again hacked into what was apparently the Bat Cave.

Now that she had done it once, the firewalls were a lot easier to break through. She created a document, and left it open on the main desktop.

Dick Grayson walked into the Bat Cave, readjusting his belt for his Nightwing disguise. He walked over to the computer, typing in the password so that he could check the city's security cameras. Before he could however, he noticed a document that hadn't been there before.

He sat down, kind of just staring, before clicking on it.

 _I have something_.

At that, Dick let out a sigh of relief. It was just Carter. After the mysterious file appeared on Bruce's desktop, he had become a lot more cautious. He stood, ready to go upstairs to tell Bruce about what he had found, when the man himself came into the room.

"Yes, Nightwing?"

"It's Carter. She said that she's found something."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Well. Why don't you take the Batmobile and pick her up? She can show us here."

"Yo - you want me to pick her up? And bring her here?"

"I believe that's what I said, yes."

"Bu - but the Bat Cave?"

"What about it?"

"You're fine with her seeing it?"

"I don't see why I shouldn't be."

"I mean… it's the _Bat Cave_."

"She already knows that Bruce Wayne is Batman, and that Dick Grayson is Nightwing. There's not much left for her to find out."

"Um… uh, there's uh… Jason! There's Jason. He's not dead."

"I'm sure they'll come across each other eventually."

Dick raised his eyebrows at that, watching as Bruce casually pulled on his gloves. "You think he'll end up targeting her."

"Dick." Bruce's gaze met Dick's head on. "Go pick up Carter."

"Yes sir."

Half an hour later, and Dick was walking up the fire escape to Carter Logan's window. He leaned against the bricks, peering inside. The light was on and he could see something on the TV. He couldn't make out what she was watching, but he watched as she laughed at something that was said. A mug of something hot was in her hands, and she sat cross legged on her old floral couch.

Cautiously, he tapped against the window.

She didn't notice, so he did it again, this time a little harder. Carter looked away from her TV, obviously hearing the tapping, but unsure of where it was coming from. He tapped again. This time she saw him at the window. She set down her mug, walking over to the window and opening it for Dick.

He slipped in as she smiled at him. "Thanks for knocking this time. I'll get you to use the door eventually."

He grinned back at her. "We'll see."

There was a bit of a pause before Carter said, "What's up?"

"We got your message. Batman wanted to see what you had."

"Oh. Okay. Um. Here." She walked over to the couch, pulling her terrible, old laptop out from underneath it, along with a notebook. "So what it is is-

"At the Bat Cave."

Carter stopped. She stared at him. "What?"

"The Bat Cave."

"The Bat Cave?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Honestly, I'm not entirely sure. Most likely because our computers are more… updated."

"Hey, Jessica is great."

"Je - Jessica? Who's Jessica?"

Carter held her laptop more closely to her chest, glaring at the vigilante.

"I - is Jessica your laptop?"

"Yes."

"You named your laptop."

"I did."

"Seriously?"

"Yes."

He stared. "Okay."

"Also, the updates mean nothing. I handcrafted every single code for Jessica. I built her software and firewalls and shortcuts from the ground up. I know this laptop like the back of my hand and nobody else does. Which is what made it so hard for you to hack. Your computers don't have that."

Dick wasn't entirely sure what to say to that. "Uh…."

"Don't disrespect Jessica."

"Right. Got it. Don't disrespect Jessica." He paused. "Um, whenever you want to go…"

Carter rolled her eyes. She grabbed the same army green satchel that she had had when they first met, putting Jessica and her notebook inside it. Slipping on her converse, she looked up at him. "Lead the way."

Dick nodded, opening the window further and sliding back out into the cold. Carter rolled her eyes at him from inside. "Really?"

"What?"

"I have a front door."

"Your neighbors might not question a vigilante, but they might question seeing a guy walk out when he hadn't walked in."

Carter rolled her eyes again, carefully putting a leg through her window. Dick grabbed her arm, helping her through. She nearly fell, obviously not used to traveling in and out windows. He managed to wind an arm around her waist, pulling her to him so that she didn't go tumbling off the fire escape.

Her breath had caught in her throat, but now she was panting from the adrenaline. "I would say that the amount of falling I do around you is out of the ordinary for me, but it's really not."

Dick chuckled lightly, carefully letting go. She looked up at him, cheeks red, probably from embarrassment and the cold. "Yeah, well. I'll just need to stay around more often, and catch you."

She flushed even redder.

* * *

Carter wasn't exactly sure what to think.

Dick Grayson, dressed as Nightwing, had tapped on her window and had asked her to come to the Bat Cave. And she _agreed_. Although, seeing as it was Batman that she was working with, Carter was rather certain she would have ended up there to talk to him eventually. So now she was sitting in the _Batmobile_ , next to _Nightwing_ , on the way to talk to the _Batman_ , at the _Bat Cave_ , and acting like all of this was normal for her.

Which it wasn't.

At all.

And then Dick, or, rather, _Nightwing_ , turned into a long driveway. Looking out the window, Carter felt her jaw practically drop. Wayne Manor was huge and still elegant sitting atop the hill. It looked like a palace with turrets, large windows, and the like. Carter was blown away. It was even bigger than Evangeline's childhood home. Which was gigantic because the Rouxs were loaded.

She felt Dick glance at her. Looking over at him, she saw him smiling at her.

"Holy shit," she said.

"Yeah," he laughed. "We get that a lot."

He steered the Batmobile into a hidden dirt road. They followed it to a _goddamn waterfall_ , before driving through it and into a long tunnel that lead to what seemed to be an underground garage that held another car and several motorcycles. Exiting the car, Dick led her over to a door. He pushed it open, gesturing for her to follow him.

The Bat Cave, while underground, was a vast space. It was circular with separate 'floors'. From what Carter could see, looking over the railing, the very bottom floor was a training arena, with a rack for weapons built into the wall. She couldn't make out what was on the rest of the floors, seeing as they were more like catwalks with doors to separate places built into the side of the underground vicinity.

Dick tapped on her arm, nodding his head in a signal to follow. Carter did so, still trying to absorb as much of the Bat Cave as possible. Dick led her to the next level up, where several large computer screens were secured into the wall, with a desk with four keyboards and a swivel chair.

Carter had to admit. This was far more impressive than her old laptop.

Batman stood by the computers, typing into one of them, cowl off but cape on.

"Bruce," Dick said.

The older man looked over, nodded once, before returning to typing. After a few tense minutes, the Batman finished what he had been doing. He turned back to Dick and Carter, crossing his arms.

"So," he said. "You found something?"

"Uh, I, yes," Carter said. She walked over to the computer system, sitting in the chair as she pulled out her notebook. "Every time we communicated, their emails were sent from different countries. Russia, France, Cuba, and Morocco. In that order. The flashdrive they mailed me came from Spain. With the emails, I managed to look at their security software, which was essentially identical except for minor details in their encryptions. I think that a group asked me to hack into your company. That would explain how everything is fundamentally the same, and yet, in less than a week, I could have emails from three different countries."

The Batman nodded, leaning against the counter as he thought. Carter squirmed, not sure of what to say or do.

And then a loud clang and a yell echoed through the Bat Cave.

Carter twirled around, hair whipping her face as her eyes widened. Not seeing anything she looked back at the vigilantes. The Batman hadn't reacted, and Nightwing was simply shaking his head.

"Uh, wh - what was that?"

"Most likely Damian," Dick said.

"Damian? What's a Damian?"

He nodded, smiling a bit. "My youngest brother. You might know him better as Robin."

Carter was about to reply, when someone else's voice cut her off.

"Grayson! I didn't know that you would be here tonight. Are you patrolling with Father an-... Who is this?"

"Damian, this is Carter Logan. She has agreed to help us out with a problem that we've come across," Bruce explained, having turned back to the computer.

"Oh."

For a little kid, Damian Wayne was intimidating. His green eyes blazed as he met Carter's gaze head on. A frown pulled at his lips, and his posture might even be better than Evangeline's.

"Um, hi?" Carter said.

Damian glared.

"Right."

The boy _tch_ -ed before turning towards Dick again. "Well," he said. "Are you patrolling with us or not, Grayson?"

Dick chuckled a bit, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't think so, Little Bird. Not tonight. I probably have to get Carter home soon, and then I think I'm going to head back to Blüdhaven, and keep an eye on things there. I've been in Gotham a lot lately."

"Oh," Damian said. He glanced over at Carter who was standing there with her arms crossed and feet shifting slightly. She smiled at him a bit, trying to make him feel more comfortable with her but his face stayed like stone.

"I'm sorry, Little Bird," Dick said, standing up again.

"It's fine. I was hoping you wouldn't patrol with us anyways."

Damian turned, chin held high as he went to leave the Bat Cave. Carter smiled a bit. She might have just met the kid, but that lie was far too obvious. However, before he had disappeared, the Batman called out to him.

"Damian! Would you please show Miss Logan to the Batmobile? I would like to talk to Dick privately for a moment."

Damian frowned, looking over at Carter once again. "Must I?"

"Yes."

Damian sighed, and began to leave once again. "Let's go then."

Raising an eyebrow over at Dick, Carter smiled slightly at him as she followed the youngest Wayne out the door.

* * *

As soon as the door swung shut behind Carter Logan and Damian, Dick turned to his father. "What did you need, Bruce?"

"I… am worried."

"Worried."

"Yes."

Dick licked his lips, sitting down in the chair Carter had just evacuated. "Wh…. why?"

"Look at this," Bruce said. He handed Dick the notebook Carter had given him. Bruce had been flipping through it during the conversation with Damian. "According to Miss Logan, most, if not all, of the encryptions and software and firewalls and such all have the same basis. Identical framework. Structure. But the details? The teeth of the beast all drip with separate poisons. And this is spread worldwide. She believes that a group is behind this, Dick. A group."

Dick felt his heart sink. "You think it might be the League of Assassins. Yo - you think that Talia…? Do you think Talia wants Damian back?"

"I'm not sure," Bruce sighed. "It is simply an idea. Damian is not to know about this. He's not to know what Carter is researching because I fear he shall make the samy hypothesis as I."

Dick nodded, slowly as he processed what Bruce had told him.

"That's all," Bruce said. "I simply wanted to inform you on what I was thinking."

"I - yeah. No. I get it. Thanks."

Bruce hummed.

Dick shifted his jaw.

"Is there something else, Dick?"

"Yeah, um. I had a question."

"What's that?"

"Why have me bring Carter here? I know you said there wasn't much left for her to figure out, but even then. I'd think you'd like to still stay as private as possible."

Bruce nodded slowly. "Well, we don't know much about this girl yet, do we? More research needs to be put in."

"If you don't fully trust her, why invite her into the Bat Cave?!"

"'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.'"

That's when it clicked. "You want to keep an eye on her."

"Yes. So far she's proven useful and trustworthy, but who knows when that might change. Anything else?"

"No, uh, that's all. I'll… I'll go then."

"Dick?"

Dick turned back around. Bruce was leaning against the computer desk, arms crossed. "Yeah?"

"Be careful."

"Of course."

* * *

Carter was intimidated by a kid. When did she become so pathetic again? Then again, for someone so young, his piercing glare had practically been perfected.

"So," she said. "How long have you been in Gotham?"

Damian didn't respond.

"I've lived in Gotham my entire life. Don't really know anywhere else. I mean, I've gone on vacations here and there and I stayed with my aunt in Metropolis once, but that's about it…. It's gotta be rough just up and moving to a new place. I could never."

Again, Damian said nothing.

"It's pretty impressive that you have. I mean, most of Gotham has heard of you by now and knows that you're living with your father. You were the talk of the town for quite a while."

Still silent.

"You mentioned 'patrolling' earlier. I'm going to assume that means that you're Robin now, right? That takes a lot of gut seeing as you're…what? Eight? Nine?"

"I'm eleven."

Carter grimaced. "Oh. My bad. I'm really bad at guessing ages."

" _Tch._ "

"But, um… eleven. That's gotta be even worse."

"I'm not going to pour my soul out to you."

"Really? Damn. There goes all my effort to emotionally connect to a preteen. My life's goal - ruined."

Carter glanced down at Damian, grinning. If he didn't want a deep talk to be friends, that was fine. Maybe he had a good sense of humor.

His face was still stone.

"You know, since you're almost a teen, I expected more angry outbursts."

"You talk too much."

"I get that a lot."

" _Tch_."

Carter sighed. There was no breaking this kid. Just as she opened her mouth to keep talking, even though, going off of the tick in his forehead, it was likely she'd end up getting punched, Dick Grayson appeared in the garage.

"Alright. Ready to go, Carter?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

"I'll stop by soon, Dami. Promise."

Damian nodded, turned on his heel and walked away.

Carter and Dick got into the Batmobile, and Dick drove away from the Bat Cave and Wayne Manor. After a couple of minutes, Carter said, "I think your brother might hate me."

Dick laughed. "What makes you say that?"

"He was pretty standoffish and didn't say a lot."

"He's like that with everyone. It just takes a bit for him to get used to people, but he's a good kid."

"No, yeah, I - I can tell."

For the rest of the ride, Carter and Dick continued talking. Most of it was small talk, but the conversation flowed easily. Carter's fingers kept drumming against her knees due to her nerves from being in the damn _Batmobile_ , but Dick managed to distract her from that, making her laugh again and again, but she wasn't sure if he was trying to or not.

Eventually, they pulled into the alleyway behind Carter's apartment building.

"Thanks, Dick."

"Yeah. No problem."

Carter nodded, opening the door and exiting the car. "I guess I'll see you later."

"Guess so," Dick grinned.

Carter nodded again, rubbing the back of her neck. She waved awkwardly, before racing up the fire escape. She closed the window and locked it, tossing her bag onto the couch. Tonight had been… very strange.

 _I hope you all enjoyed!_


End file.
